Page 2942 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 September 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Leaving that aside, we have done our absolute best to get community consultation on this matter, and it is something that has been running for a long time. When the Federal Constitutional Commission was held, there were submissions on many aspects; yet one aspect alone was responsible for more submissions than all the others put together, and that was citizens-initiated referenda that are binding. Ms Szuty said that the committee process will give members who want to increase their knowledge an opportunity to do so. She nods. I wrote to Ms Szuty and said that I wanted to have a chat with her about CIR; but she would not talk to me about the Bill. I understand politics. I had had a good look at this subject and I wanted to discuss some of the points that might have been raised by a committee. This was quite some months ago.
I know that committees and meetings with other members, particularly those who have an interest in a Bill, are useful things, and we have to have them. You do not wait until the end of the year to try to do something that would take any organisation a year to do when they are doing other things. If that were all we had to deal with for two months, we might be able to do it. But what about people in Canberra? You are asking them for submissions. Will we give them the time to do all the work they need to do? Many people are going to contact us late in the piece and say, "I just heard about this. I am not going to have a say on this. Give me time". We went through that in committee after committee. Nearly all of the committees in the First Assembly had early reporting dates, and they had to be extended, some more than once. I do not disagree with that. It is just that it is very late in the piece.
Question put:
That the amendment (Mrs Carnell's) be agreed to.
The Assembly voted -
AYES, 7 NOES, 10
Mrs Carnell Mr Berry
Mr Cornwell Mr Connolly
Mr De Domenico Ms Ellis
Mr Humphries Ms Follett
Mr Kaine Mrs Grassby
Mr Stefaniak Mr Lamont
Mr Stevenson Ms McRae
Mr Moore
Ms Szuty
Mr Wood
Question so resolved in the negative.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .